‘Yotes Notes: Shane Doan, Mike Smith lead Phoenix to overtime win

Sure, you could read the box score and know who won, but we all know that won’t tell you everything that happened in a hockey game. So, we will give you ‘Yotes Notes, providing you with the analysis, quotes and notes from the Coyotes’ 3-2 overtime win over the Avalanche on February 11.

The Good:

Shane Doan isn’t normally the type of captain who can simply take over a game when his team needs him to be the star, but Monday night he was just that.

Doan tallied two goals, including the game winner in overtime, and was a dominate presence at both ends of the ice all evening long.

Rarely do you see a 1-on-3 odd-man rush work in the NHL. It’s even rarer when that one is a defenseman. But that’s exactly the situation Oliver Ekman-Larsson made the most of to knot the game up at the 9:21 mark of the third period.

It was a little bit bold, but the Coyotes needed a jolt offensively and Ekman-Larsson was happy to provide it.

Mike Smith wasn’t perfect like he was in San Jose, but Phoenix’s netminder was still brilliant between the pipes at the Pepsi Center. Smith was peppered with shots (43) throughout the night and also made key saves with the team down a man during the first 1:43 of overtime.

The Bad:

The Coyotes were actually rather lucky to get any points, let alone a win, out of Monday night’s game.

Following an impressive 1-0 victory Saturday against the Sharks, Phoenix played down to their level of competition in Denver.

Mike Smith gave up a bad goal to Mark Oliver in the second period, a Shane Doan mistake led to a breakaway opportunity and the Avalanche’s second tally, and to make matters worse, Dave Tippett’s power play couldn’t score on eight opportunities.

Add in their eight giveaways and the Coyotes should be thrilled to walk away with a win.

Noted:

• Doan’s three-point night was much-needed, as Phoenix’s captain entered the contest with just four points in the season’s first 12 games.

• Even with his six-goal blemish against the Blackhawks last Thursday, Mike Smith has been dominant over his last five games, giving up just nine goals out the last 136 shots he’s faced.

• The Coyotes have now won back-to-back road games for the first time since taking Games 3 and 4 against the Blackhawks in last year’s Western Conference quarterfinals.

Up Next:

The Coyotes will conclude their three-game road trip against the Nashville Predators Thursday. The game is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m. MST.